The Logitech Ergo K860 provides the balance of ergonomic support and accessibility for new ergo users trying this kind of gear for the first time. Its soft, unibody form factor splits between the two sides of the keyboard, reducing shoulder blade stretch, with angled keys to match. While it isn’t a perfect ergonomic solution, I found that it provided enough support to ease my fatigue at the end of a long workday.

And unlike conventional keyboards that lift the back of the keyboard to tilt it toward you, this model tilts at the front. As it turns out, “reverse tilting” is actually easier on the wrists because you aren’t flexing to reach the keys. It makes a bigger difference than you think: My wrists and fingers were a lot more relaxed when they draped naturally over the keyboard.

The keys are super smooth to type on, and the very large wrist rest makes typing more comfortable. The downside is that the Ergo K860 takes up a reasonable amount of space on your desk. That’s the price you pay for a better typing experience, but it may be an issue for folks with a compact setup.

Key Specs

The Periboard 512 is a very budget-friendly soft-split keyboard with a decent number of quality-of-life features and a very office-friendly vibe. It sits flat and is more compact than it looks, making it at least a bit more convenient than the Logitech Ergo K860. It still takes up its fair share of desk space, though.

It features an integrated palm rest, though it isn’t cushioned, along with a classic curved key layout to help keep your hands in a more neutral position. The keycaps themselves are contoured to better match the shape of your fingertips.

The Periboard 512 also includes multimedia shortcuts at the top of the keyboard for quick access to functions such as browser navigation, email, volume controls, mute, sleep mode, and search.

Key Specs

The Logitech Wave Keys was my first ergonomic keyboard, and I would recommend it as a starter model for anyone who’s hesitant to try one. It’s a small investment at only $60, and it doesn’t take long to get the hang of typing on its more compact but ergonomically angled keys.

Though that tighter key formation doesn’t provide relief for your shoulders, it can be helpful if you find yourself hyperextending your fingers to reach certain keys. That was the biggest benefit in my case: With the keys closer together, I didn’t have to strain my fingers as much as I usually do, even with a laptop keyboard. Still, the best and worst part of the Wave Keys is that its ergonomic impact is limited: It helps a little, and it’s very easy to use right away, but if you have a documented repetitive strain injury, it may not go far enough to relieve pain.

The keyboard connects via Bluetooth or Logitech’s USB receiver. I just popped the little gadget into the back of my monitor, turned the power switch, and I was up and running. It’s a pretty no-frills design overall, but it’s a very easy adjustment if you’re making the initial change to an ergonomic keyboard.

Key Specs

The Kinesis Freestyle2 represents the deep end of the ergonomic keyboard pool: It’s a full-blown split keyboard, which breaks up the keys into two separate pieces so you can position the sides to type without squeezing in your shoulder blades. It also features interior risers, which enable both tenting and reverse tilting to one of three heights. This is a full suite of ergonomic features, and should allow you to find the most comfortable option possible.

Having three fairly intensive ways to customize how the keyboard feels is, as you might expect, pretty daunting. It takes time and experimentation to find the settings that both feel comfortable and usable. But once I figured things out, I found that having all that control was really helpful. The more you’re willing to commit, the more you’ll get out of it.

And teaching yourself to type on any split keyboard takes some effort. You have to adjust to operating both sides of the keyboard independently. It isn’t that much different from how you normally type, but it feels like a whole new world. For me specifically, it took some time for my fingers to not instinctively reach over to the other side, and to remember that the “B” and “N” keys were on either half.

That said, the Freestyle2 comes with a detachable joint so you can push the sides into a standard keyboard layout. It’s helpful while you’re learning, but don’t get too comfortable: The Freestyle2 is a good keyboard, but there’s no reason to invest in this design if you aren’t committed to mastering the split configuration and optimizing for ergonomic support.

Key Specs

Once I got the hang of using it, the Freestyle Edge RGB+ has become my favorite ergonomic keyboard because it’s so full-featured. I played around with configuration for a few weeks, and found that shoulder-width and rotated inward was the most comfortable. I also prefer the padding on this model over the Freestyle2 because it's thicker and feels more supportive.

The lift kit, which enables tenting, comes pre-installed. That alone may be worth the extra $50, as it is much easier to set up than other true split keyboards, including the Kinesis Freestyle2. That said, you also get improved typing feel of mechanical keys, which makes for more comfortable typing across the board.

As the name suggests, the Freestyle Edge RGB+ adds RGB backlighting to the mix. That, in conjunction with its mechanical keys, is meant to give it a gaming keyboard vibe. It features nine programmable lighting profiles, all accessible without a configuration app. (Personally, I liked the third option the best—it’s a color spectrum that is always changing.)

And just like most gaming keyboards, it offers a lot of customization options, including a set of Mac-specific keycaps so you can have an Apple key. It is a tenkeyless model (TKL), so it doesn’t have a number pad, and doesn’t come with the connector piece that you get with the Freestyle2. So this may serve better as an upgrade for experienced split keyboard users, rather than a starter model. The mechanical keys are a good enough reason for keyboard enthusiasts and gamers to invest right away.

Key Specs

If you want a fully featured ergonomic split keyboard, the Advantage360 stands in a league of its own. Unlike most fully split keyboards, it combines fully wireless connectivity, mechanical switches, and contoured keywells into a premium design. The concave layout reduces finger travel and strain, while the completely separate halves let you position each side naturally for your shoulders and wrists, without a tether cable locking them together.

The Advantage360 also places commonly used keys like delete, backspace, space, and enter into dedicated thumb clusters, shifting the workload from your pinkies. Beyond the hardware, Kinesis also offers SmartSet programming support, allowing you to remap keys, create your own macros, and customize layouts through a companion app, which is a feature that’s still relatively uncommon among ergonomic keyboards.

With multiple tenting options and wireless flexibility, the Advantage360 is made for people who truly want a customizable ergonomic setup rather than just a more comfortable keyboard. The advanced configuration is an adjustment, so be prepared for a steeper learning curve than other, more beginner-friendly split models we recommend.

Key Specs

Similar to the Logi Ergo K860, Razer’s Pro Type Ergo is a low-profile soft split with a wide, domed shape and a large wrist rest, with several height and angle adjustments. Its concave keycaps give your fingers a target to sink into for increased typing accuracy, helping new users find their footing.

In that vein, I also like that it has a three-part spacebar, one for each hand as well as a little extra key in the middle in case you accidentally cross one hand over. There are two “B” keys on either side of the split, which may take some getting used to since a majority of keyboards only have one of each key.

Though it’s from Razer, which is primarily known for gaming, this model is part of the brand’s Pro Type productivity line, which is theoretically made for the office. Of course, you might not realize that, given the prominent RGB lighting. It also features media keys and two customizable rollers in the top corners, which you can customize (along with the lighting) through Razer’s Synapse configuration app.

Fans of gaming keyboards will likely feel more at home on the Pro Type Ergo than other keyboards and, again, I think it has a lot of nice features that help ease you into using a split design.

Key Specs

The Q11 Ultra also does a good job helping typists who are new to split keyboards find their way around. The unique design allows you to push the two pieces so that they’re basically flush so you can use it as a standard keyboard. And unlike some of my other recommendations, it doesn’t have a domed shape or tenting, so it sits flat and feels more like a standard board.

Keychron is one of Popular Mechanics’ longtime favorite keyboard brands, and the Q11 reflects many of the reasons why: It features great mechanical typing feel, Bluetooth and 2.4-gigahertz wireless support, and a web-based configuration app to customize its RGB lighting, remap keys, and create macros.

Its Achilles’ heel as an ergonomic keyboard is its lack of tenting. You won’t get quite as much relief from this model as you would from the Kinesis keyboards, especially in the back and shoulders.

Key Specs